What’s good, wrestling fam? We are a little over two weeks away from WrestleMania! Are you feeling it now, guys? Though we really only had two matches on last night’s show, there was still a nice, steady build up to the show of shows. Let’s take a look at what happened this week on the blue brand!
The Miz’s Response
Last week, Shane McMahaon gave us his reasons for attacking The Miz after their Fast Lane match. This week, The Miz gave his response. He said that while he’s been taking shortcuts and ruining relationships to attain success, his relationship with Shane actually meant something to him. He went on to say that Shane was rotten just like his father and only deserves “an ass beating at WrestleMania.” So the McMahon/Miz match is official! The Miz has not always been the best at playing a babyface, but this promo was awesome! It was fiery, heartfelt, and really made you feel something for The Miz. I think Shane and Miz will be able to pull off a great match, especially with the personal undertones of the feud. Maybe Mr. Miz will even get involved somehow!
Grade: A
Sasha Banks and Bayley vs the IIconics
The Women’s Tag Team Champions made their long-awaited debut on Smackdown Live! Prior to the match, the IIconics mocked the champions in their usual sneering way. Bayley and Billie Kay started. Lacey Evans also did her runway walk during the middle of the match, which was odd. Peyton Royce rolled up Sasha Banks, with a little help from Kay, to win the match. I have two main thoughts from this match: Is Lacey Evans ever going to actually get in the ring and wrestle again? And is the women’s tag match going to end up being a multi-team match? It already kind of seems like creative is unsure what to do with the women’s tag titles. It feels like it should’ve been easier to set up something when the titles are supposed to be defended on all brands.
Winner: The IIconics
Grade: B-
Dominic’s all grown up!
Rey Mysterio had his son Dominic with him last night. He said that he’s challenging Samoa Joe for the United States Championship at WrestleMania. Dominic said that Joe’s a bully and he’s going to be sitting front row to watch his dad win. Dominic towers over his dad; hard to believe this is the same kid whose custody was once contested in a ladder match!
Grade: Not Graded
The Kevin Owens Show Returns
Kevin Owens even put on a nice dinner jacket and tie for us! His guests were Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair. Owens talked about friendships gone bad (Festival of Friendship, anyone?) and referenced the fact that both Flair and Lynch have talked a lot of smack to and about each other and that no one wants to hear anymore talking. Flair and Lynch brawled ad security had to pull them apart. Owens was a fun host and I think he did a better job adding fire to the feud in this brief segment than Ronda Rousey has done for the last couple of months.
Grade: A
Whose house is this?
AJ Styles had an interview backstage where he conceded that he’s a walk-on whereas Randy Orton is a first-round draft pick. He said he’s going to tear the house down at Mania and also wished Kofi Kingston good luck in his gauntlet match. I think this was a pretty solid interview segment, hyping up their upcoming mach and the juxtaposition of their careers. Also how much do they spend on heat protectant for Styles’ hair? Because they sure do love to put that hot iron through it.
Grade: B+
B+ Player
Daniel Bryan came to the ring, with Rowan in tow. He said that Kofi Kingston being in the gauntlet match was an injustice because Kingston didn’t deserve it. He’s just a B+ player who was given a spot because Mustafa Ali couldn’t compete. B+ is good enough for the fans. Bryan’s heel promos are great and I really like them. He’s so good at stirring up the fans and making them angry!
Grade: A-
Gauntlet Match: Kofi Kingston vs Sheamus, Cesaro, Samoa Joe, Randy Orton, and Rowan
Kofi Kingston definitely had the support of both the WWE Universe and the babyface locker room as he made it past Sheamu, Cesaro, and Rowan. Samoa Joe tried to choke him out, but he still cradled the Samoan Submission Machine to get past him as well. Randy Orton was supposedly the last opponent and Kingston rolled him to win…but Vince McMahon came out and announced that the final boss was actually Daniel Bryan! What a twist! Kingston made a valiant effort, but the busaiku knee won the match for the WWE Champion. While I did think the ending was pretty good, it also worries me a little bit. WrestleMania is two weeks from Sunday and there’s still no set opponent for Daniel Bryan. Also I hope there’s not too much time before the payoff for Kofi Kingston. If it goes on too long, the support could die.
Winner: Daniel Bryan
Grade: A
Final Thoughts
Smackdown was great this week. We locked in another match for Mania. But at the same time, I think a lot of the attention has been going to Raw with both the women’s title and the Universal Title. The top male and female champions on Smackdown do not have set opponents for Mania. We’re starting to get down to the wire here and I feel like they need to lock in something soon. With a possible 17-match card and 8 hour runtime, we should at least know all the championship matches.
Overall Grade: A-
-Wynter
